Weston (Washington)
Weston was founded around 1885/86. Located at the foot of the western ascent (2.2%% gradient) of the Northern Pacific Railway to the Stampede Tunnel at the Stampede Pass, the small town served as a western auxiliary station for the pass and tunnel, almost as a counterpart to Easton . The property comprised a locomotive shed, a telegraph station, a water tank, a turntable and several side rooms with accommodation and dining rooms.
With the Cascade Range to the north and the Green River to the south, Weston was unfavorable for future expansion. In 1891/92, the Northern Pacific moved its western aid station about four miles (6.4 km) west to a point known as Lester . Weston was unique in that the Northern Pacific, crossing the Green River twice, drew a short branch line through Weston, creating a complete loop. (Further east on reaching the top of the Stampede Pass, the engineers of the Northern Pacific created the loop known as the Borup Loop [named after the Borup (Washington) telegraph station in the middle of the loop]; however, this was a misnomer because the connection currently represents an elongated S-curve made of two adjacent horseshoe structures.)
Weston served as a small telegraph station (one story, 20 × 30 feet, about 6 × 9 m) and stop for the water supply until about 1915, as a double-track upgrade of the Stampede Pass route between Lester and Easton (with the exception of the tunnel area itself) completely replaced the Weston Loop and Weston. The image attached to this article shows a view down from the large viaduct that crosses the Green River and replaces the old loop.
geography
The exact position of Weston is still unknown, in any case it was most likely on the Green River southeast of Lester and east of Enumclaw . Old maps show it near the mouth of Intake Creek in the Green River (approximately at 47 ° 12 ′ 14 ″ N , 121 ° 24 ′ 42 ″ W ) . There are many man-made clearings in the area that have been overgrown for a long time and exposing the original railway tracks would require removal of the trees.
swell
- Clive and Ann Carter: Washington State Railroad Depots Photo Archive . Iconografix, 2009, ISBN 978-1-58388-245-0 , p. 91.
Web links
- NP Ry. Spelled in Reverse: EG Morgan and a Town called Nagrom - Article on the history of Nagrom, Washington and other areas around the Stampede Pass including Weston.